Knights' Joey Grant semifinalist for national award

Injuries will cause Justin Holman to miss the next two to four weeks, center Joey Grant to miss the remainder of the season and running back Dontravious Wilson to miss the Furman game.(Photo: Nick Leyva / Central Florida Future)

Joey Grant has been named one of 135 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation announced Thursday. The honor recognizes an individual as the football’s top student-athlete in the nation.

Grant has maintained a 3.8 GPA during his time at UCF and is scheduled to complete two master’s degrees by December, according to a press release. He is the first active UCF student-athlete to be accepted into the DeVos Sport Business Management graduate program.

The graduate student has volunteered as a coach with the Special Olympics. His philanthropic efforts also sent him to New Orleans for the St. Bernard Project and Hope for Stanley, a five-day mission trip devoted to helping build homes, according to the release.

In 2011, Grant began his UCF career on the scout team as true freshman. He played defensive line in 2012 but started 13 games at center the next season as a sophomore, helping the Knights win the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship. He was a two-time member of the AAC All-Academic Team.

Grant’s final season was cut short due to a shoulder injury in September. He played in 31 games while at UCF.